Perrinton youth died after accident in Crystal Lake

Jeffrey S. Whitehead died shortly before 9 a.m., according to the Montcalm County Sheriff’s office.

On Thursday around 12:30 p.m., police arrived at the lake after being told that a person was pulled from the water and CPR was in progress.

Police said the man had fallen from his boat and was unconscious.

A number of bystanders had assisted by rescuing the man and had begun CPR, the deputies said in a written statement.

No one witnessed the accident, said Montcalm County Sheriff’s Lt. Brian Waber. So it is unknown if he had fallen and hit his head.

Whitehead was found floating in the water, near his boat which had not been tied up. It had a trolling motor but the motor wasn’t running, Waber said.

“There was no damage to his boat,” he said.

Whitehead was taken to Carson City Hospital and later flown to Grand Rapids.

He was a student at Alma High School, beginning his senior year in the fall, according to obituary information. He was a member of the Alma High School Tigers basketball team and a past member of the Fulton football team.

The son of Troy Abring and Mary Whitehead, his funeral is scheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Maple Rapids United Methodist Church.

Linda Gittleman may be reached at 989-463-6071, lgittleman@michigannewspapers.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lgittleman.